Small Businesses: UK Financial Investments

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on assistance for small businesses in Scotland from banks in which UK Financial Investments is a major shareholder.

Jim Murphy: I have regular discussions with my ministerial colleagues on a range of matters. Both Lloyds and RBS reaffirmed their commitment to lend an additional £39 billion over the 12 months from March 2009.

Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund  (a) was allocated to each local authority in 2008-09 and  (b) has been so allocated in 2009-10; whether his Department keeps a record of the purposes to which such funding is put; and what assessment he has made of the (i) past and (ii) future use of such monies in accordance with the objectives set for the fund.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In total, £3 million from the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) has been allocated to local authorities in each financial year of 2008-09 and 2009-10. The funding was allocated to the 18 local authorities with the highest aggregates production, in proportion to production levels in each of those authorities. A full breakdown is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  £000 
			 Somerset 330 
			 Derbyshire 330 
			 Leicestershire 330 
			 North Yorkshire 308 
			 Staffordshire 210 
			 Cumbria 150 
			 Lancashire 143 
			 Devon 120 
			 Essex 112 
			 Lincolnshire 107 
			 Durham 107 
			 Doncaster 107 
			 Shropshire 107 
			 Cornwall 107 
			 Nottinghamshire 107 
			 Gloucestershire 107 
			 North Somerset 107 
			 South Gloucestershire 107 
		
	
	In addition, £500,000 was allocated in each year to ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England) to support projects in the remaining local authority areas.
	Funds are provided to local authorities via an area-based grant which gives them freedom over how to spend money locally. There is no requirement for local authorities to report directly to DEFRA, but some, including Derbyshire, do put data about their projects onto DEFRA's ALSF database. Reports reviewing ALSF, including local authority funding, were undertaken in 2003 and 2006 and a further review is planned for early 2010.

Dogs: Electric Shock Equipment

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the research project commissioned by his Department on the effects of electronic training aids on the welfare of dogs to be completed; how much the research has cost; when he expects to announce his decision on the regulation of the use of electronic shock collars; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The research project on electronic training aids for dogs is due to be completed at the end of February 2010. The cost of the research project will be £469,000. We will not be able to announce any decision on the future use of such devices until the results of the research have been peer-reviewed, and we have had the time to fully consider the results.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many genetically modified food trials the Government has licensed  (a) in each region and  (b) for each species in each of the last five years; how much his Department has spent on genetically-modified food trials in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the last five years DEFRA has issued three consents for GM crop trials as follows:
	
		
			  Consent ref.  Applicant  Crop  Date of consent  Release site 
			 06/R42/01 BASF Plant Science GmbH Potato 1 December 2006 Girton, Cambs. 
			 07/R42/01 BASF Plant Science GmbH Potato 14 May 2007 Trial did not proceed-no material grown 
			 07/R31/01 University of Leeds Potato 9 May 2008 Bramham, Leeds 
		
	
	The trials by Leeds university formed part of a wider research project on the control of potato cyst nematodes, funded mainly by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and with a contribution from DEFRA under a Government Partnership Award programme. DEFRA's contribution to the overall project costs was £41,000 in 2005 and £18,000 in 2009. Specific cost figures just for the field trial component of the project are not readily available. The BASF trials were entirely funded by the company.

Departmental Assets

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assets of his Department are planned to be sold in each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14; what the  (a) description and  (b) book value of each such asset is; what the expected revenue from each such sale is; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government have stated their intention to realise £16 billion in asset disposals over the period 2011-14 and will publish further details of opportunities to commercialise business assets in the coming weeks.
	The Treasury's Asset Management Strategy was published in December 2007 on the Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/vfm_deliveryagreement
	It stated that with the disposals in 2007-08, the Treasury Group will have met the Government's aim that each Department should dispose of at least 10 per cent. of its asset stock in the period 2004-05 to 2010-11. There will be limited opportunities to make any further disposals in the remainder of the period through to 2010-11.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what efficiency savings projects  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to Departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury Group's Value for Money Delivery Agreement, revised in July 2009, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, sets out how it is aiming to deliver £35 million of VfM savings by 2010-11, including £5 million increased at Budget 2009 as a result of work on the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP).
	The Treasury Group will provide an update on progress towards delivering its VfM target in its Autumn Performance Report. Details of VfM plans beyond the current spending review period are not yet available.

Departmental Taxis

Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred under each such contract in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has had contracts with two taxi companies in the past three completed financial years. The following table sets out the total expenditure on each.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Premier Despatch Ltd., London(1) 168 139 216 
			 1st Goldstar Taxis, Norwich - 8 13 
			 (1 )Premier Despatch Ltd was acquired by Addison Lee in February 2009

Generic Financial Advice Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to implement the findings of the Thoresen Review of generic financial advice which the Government have accepted.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government are testing the Thoresen Review's blueprint for a generic financial advice or 'Money Guidance' service through a large-scale pilot or pathfinder in the North West and North East of England. The £12 million pathfinder is jointly funded and delivered by HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority. Launched in April, it is on track to meet its target to reach over 500,000 people by March 2010, through the Moneymadeclear website, helpline and face to face services provided by a wide range of local partners. The Moneymadeclear website and helpline is also available UK-wide.
	Interim evaluation findings from the pathfinder indicate that the Money Guidance service can be effective and the Money Guidance service will therefore be rolled out nationally from spring 2010. The Financial Services Bill introduced in the Commons on 19 November includes provisions for a new consumer financial education body which will lead and direct funding to national implementation of Money Guidance.

Olympic and Paralympic Games

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what proportion of the £9.325 billion public sector funding package for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been spent since 2005-06.

Tessa Jowell: 33.8 per cent. of the £9.325 billion public sector funding package has been spent to the end of September 2009.
	Further information is provided in the latest London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games quarterly economic report (published 23 November 2009). I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses.

Armed Forces: Accommodation

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 10 November 2009,  Official Report, column 223W, on armed forces: accommodation, what the maximum sum payable under  (a) food and incidental allowance,  (b) get you home travel allowance,  (c) home to duty travel allowance and  (d) recruitment and retention allowance (London) was in the latest period for which figures are available; how many personnel at each (i) staff officer rank and (ii) equivalent civil service payband claimed each allowance in that period; and what the single (A) highest and (B) lowest claim for each allowance as at each rank or payband in that period.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 23 November 2009
	The allowances mentioned are paid only to Service personnel who meet the relevant eligibility criteria, and not to civilians. Rates of allowances are reviewed annually.
	Food and Incidental Allowance is paid at a daily rate of £12.78 (£383.40 per month, pro rata). This is paid to assist single and unaccompanied Service personnel in the UK to meet the necessary costs of food and incidental expenses when they are without access to Service accommodation/messing facilities, but have self-catering facilities, and does not require submission of receipts.
	Recruitment and Retention Allowance (London) is paid at a daily rate £3.76 for all Service Personnel who work within five miles of the statue of King Charles I at Charing Cross. This is paid to counter reluctance to serve in designated London locations by contributing to the higher costs encountered during a permanent assignment in London and by compensating for the reduced quality of the supporting infrastructure.
	Get You Home Travel, the rate of which is determined by the distance from a family home and the place of duty. The minimum amount payable is £1.07, commencing at 20 miles, and the maximum amount payable is £13.39 per day. The latter represents a family home being 530 miles away from a place of duty. It is paid to support the mobile nature of the Services and improve retention by reducing the financial impact of separation on Service personnel.
	Home to Duty (Public) is paid to those eligible service Personnel who reside in Forces Family Accommodation, to assist with the daily cost of travel between their home and place of duty. In certain circumstances, Service personnel in receipt of Get You Home Travel will not be eligible for concurrent payment of Home to Duty (Public). Dependant on the distance and method of travel used the following maximum rates are payable:
	
		
			   Miles/£ 
			 Distance each way from Place of Duty (miles) 70 
			   
			 Automatic motor vehicles - daily rate (£) 25.81 
			 Manual motor vehicles - daily rate (£) 43.61 
			 Automatic pedal cycles - monthly rate (£) 12.43 
			 Manual pedal cycles - monthly rate 21.00 
		
	
	Home to Duty (Private) is payable to those eligible Service Personnel who do not occupy Service Accommodation, to assist with the daily cost of travel between their home and place of duty. Service personnel in receipt of Get You Home Travel will not be eligible for concurrent payment of Home to Duty (Private). Dependant on the distance and method of travel used the following maximum rates are payable:
	
		
			   Miles/£ 
			 Distance each way from Place of Duty (miles) 70 
			 Automatic motor vehicles - daily rate (£) 15.24 
			 Manual motor vehicles - daily rate (£) 25.75 
			 Automatic pedal cycles - monthly rate (£) 7.34 
			 Manual pedal cycles - monthly rate (£) 12.40 
		
	
	Most allowances are payable on qualifying criteria other than rank held. The status of 'staff officer' has a number of different meanings and could be applied to a specific appointment undertaken by a Junior Military Officer or those officers of starred rank. As a result it would be difficult to obtain information on recipients of 'staff officer' status, as it would require the application of varied parameters to a number of different searches which could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All of these allowances are applicable to commissioned and non-commissioned personnel.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what medical service and readjustment programmes were provided to wounded soldiers returning from Afghanistan in each year since 2001; what his planned expenditure on these services is in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide an extensive range of medical treatment and wider support for wounded Service personnel. Since 2001 we have made numerous clinical and administrative improvements to the treatment that we provide, all of which are intended to improve the quality of care that our wounded personnel receive. Where these are a consequence of operational requirements, they have been funded from the Reserve (Conflict Prevention Fund). The Government have also funded many improvements from within the Defence budget, such as £24 million of additional funding over four years for the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), Headley Court, announced in 2008.
	For personnel on operations, the care starts in the operational theatre, with life-saving medical treatment on the frontline and in our field hospitals. Those who need further specialist care back in the UK are normally returned to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital, which is at the leading edge in the treatment of multiple trauma injuries as commonly sustained by our battle casualties, and has since 2006 had a military-managed ward.
	If patients require further rehabilitation care they may be referred to Headley Court, or for outpatient treatment at one of MOD's 15 military Regional Rehabilitation Units. We also provide mental healthcare for those who need it, primarily through our 15 military out-patient Departments of Community Mental Health across the UK (plus centres overseas); in-patient care is arranged for those who need it.
	Wider support to those who are injured is overseen by a Welfare Coordinator, who will work with appropriate specialists to offer support and advice in such areas as housing, access to services and counselling if required, as well as providing support through key transition points, such as a move to or from Headley Court.
	Medical policy for the DMS is overseen by the Surgeon General's Department. However, the organisational structure of the DMS means that comprehensive budgetary planning information on medical care could be provided only at disproportionate cost as substantial elements are disaggregated and embedded in the budgets of the single Services, individual military units, and overall operational budgets.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department has allocated for  (a) year end and  (b) in-year bonuses for staff in 2009-10.

Bob Ainsworth: The total paybill for some 50,000 non-industrial and 11,000 industrial staff below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) (excluding Trading Funds) covered by the main pay awards is £1.827 billion of which 2.7 per cent. has been allocated for non consolidated performance awards for year end 2009-10.
	The total paybill for permanent members of the SCS is £19.3 million of which 8.6 per cent. has been allocated for non consolidated performance awards for year end 2009-10. This does not include Fixed Term employees at SCS level, who are employed on individual contracts.
	0.4 per cent of the total paybill for staff (excluding Trading Funds) has been allocated for in year Special Bonus Payments for year end 2009-10.

European Defence Agency

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding from the public purse has been provided to the European Defence Agency in each year since 2005; what assessment he has made of its performance; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The European Defence Agency (EDA) does valuable work developing European military capabilities and works successfully with participating member states on collaborative programmes and projects. The amount paid by the Ministry of Defence to the EDA in each year since 2005 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Calendar year  £ million 
			 2005 2.36 
			 2006 2.09 
			 2007 1.95 
			 2008 3.11 
			 2009 3.03 
		
	
	The figures in the table relate to the amounts paid for each calendar year. It should be noted that the answers provided previously to this question on 6 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1857W and 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 65W referred to financial years (April to March) but the amounts detailed actually related to calendar years.

Christmas

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables,  (h) fruit and  (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I plan to host a Christmas reception in London and another in Cardiff this year. We will not be serving food, only snacks and drinks will be provided. I would estimate the cost of each reception to be around £250, although the final amount will not be known until after the events are held.

Departmental Air Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many domestic flights within Great Britain officials of his Department took in an official capacity in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse.

Peter Hain: My officials took 17 domestic flights in the last financial year at a cost of £2,516.66.

Police: Devolution

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent estimate is of the cost under each budget heading of implementing his Department's proposals for devolution of policing and justice powers in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office established a Devolution Programme team in April 2007 which up to the end of October 2009 has cost £633,961. Other staff across the Department have also been involved in implementing proposals for the devolution of policing and justice but quantifying these costs could not be done within the disproportionate cost limit.

Bereavement Benefits

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of bereavement benefit in 2008-09; what the total amount paid was; and in what percentage of cases the benefit was subsequently reduced.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 23 November 2009
	Outturn expenditure, in cash terms, on bereavement benefits for 2008-09 was £675 million.
	The available information on the number of recipients is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people in receipt of bereavement benefits as at each quarter in 2008-09 
			   Number 
			 May 2008 59,850 
			 August 2008 59,400 
			 November 2008 59,190 
			 February 2009 60,720 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 
		
	
	There is no information available about the percentage of cases where the benefit was subsequently reduced.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the tax cost of doubling the winter fuel allowance for people who have retired.

Angela Eagle: The current per household amounts for the winter fuel payment are £250 for those aged 60-79 and £400 for those aged over 80 (including the additional payment of £50 and £100 respectively). The additional public expenditure consequences of making winter fuel payments at double these rates, to only those who have reached state pension age, would be around £2 billion for 2009-10.

Departmental Legal Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure his Department and its agencies have incurred on external legal advice and representation in each year since 1997; and for what purposes such services were commissioned.

Chris Bryant: The amount spent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on external legal advice and representation from counsel and solicitors in private practice by way of disbursements paid via the Treasury Solicitor (which form the bulk of the FCO's external legal costs) in each year since 1998 is as follows:
	
		
			  (£) 
			 1998-99 54,667.70 
			 1999-2000 50,963.21 
			 2000-01 117,117.11 
			 2001-02 124,641.66 
			 2002-03 697,878.22 
			 2003-04 204,366.75 
			 2004-05 331,731.68 
			 2005-06 328,378.29 
			 2006-07 387,591.16 
			 2007-08 294,497.06 
			 2008-09 362,177.08 
		
	
	The figure for such spending for the financial year 1997-98 is no longer held by the FCO.
	The FCO does not hold information on aggregate amounts of external fees paid other than via the Treasury Solicitor.
	These professional services are commissioned for the purposes of legal representation in court proceedings and obtaining legal advice.

Government Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by Government Hospitality in 2008-09.

Chris Bryant: In the financial year 2008-09 Government Hospitality in Protocol Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recorded the following expenditure on functions, equipment, laundry, porterage, flowers, wines, spirits and soft drinks was £488,044.

National Independent Electoral Commission

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of  (a) the effectiveness of the National Independent Electoral Commission and  (b) the adequacy of its operational resources.

Ivan Lewis: The Independent Election Commission (IEC) was able to hold the first Afghan-led elections for over 30 years. In the face of insecurity and threats to its 160,000 staff across Afghanistan, it enabled millions of Afghans to come out and make their voice heard in choosing the future leadership of their country. While there were minor complaints about the quality of some of the materials it used, such as the hole punches to mark the voter cards, the operation overall was well resourced. The UK contributed £16.5 million to the UN basket fund for elections, which included recourses and capacity building for the IEC.
	Clearly there are lessons to be learned for future elections. But the processes in place provided for an independent audit of the results that came through the IEC. The audit process, conducted by the Electoral Complaints Commission, in co-operation with the IEC following election day on 20 August, was robust and transparent: flaws in the process were reported, investigated and decided on, and fraudulent ballots removed. Following the conclusion of this process, we are confident that the result of the 2009 presidential elections reflects the will of the Afghan people.

Departmental Taxis

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years.

Si�n Simon: Private hire taxi services are provided by Addison Lee. During the last three years the following amounts were spent:
	
		
			
			 2006-07 16,095 
			 2007-08 17,055 
			 2008-09 10,823

Gambling Commission: Allowances

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much officials of the Gambling Commission claimed for reimbursement of travel expenses in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission have advised that their officials claimed 217,655.29 for reimbursement of travel expenses in the 12 months to 31 October 2009. This figure includes the reimbursement for travel undertaken by 134 employees including those who perform routine compliance and enforcement duties.

Olympic Games 2012: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the legacy from the London 2012 Olympics on participation in sport in the West Midlands  (a) in general and  (b) by children under 14 years old.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since the publication of the Government's Legacy Action Plan in June 2008, there has been significant progress on delivering our aims for a lasting community sport legacy from the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics across the UK.
	We are investing 480 million, through Sport England's Whole Sport Plan process, in the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport during the run up to the games, in order to drive up participation so 1 million more people are doing more sport. The PE and Sport Strategy for Young People sets out how the 780 million of DCMS and DCSF investment is targeted at getting more children to do five hours of sport per week. The huge range of programmes under these strategies will help to ensure that the sporting system in 2012 and beyond is in the best shape possible.
	In addition, regional partners are capitalising on national programmes of delivery like Change 4 Life, Living Well and Free Swimming to encourage innovation through partnerships at all levels to create a real and lasting legacy from the 2012 games for the West Midlands. In addition, 10 local area agreements have already been signed for national indicator 8-local agreement to increase the number of adults participating in sport and active recreation.
	Within the region there are six sub-regional 2012 partnerships and each has identified a series of programmes and projects that will help to increase levels of participation in sport and physical activity.

Operational Efficiency Programme

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what efficiency savings projects  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Royal Parks Agency and its non-departmental public bodies currently report on the value for money programme announced in the 2007 comprehensive spending review. This will deliver savings of 168 million over the three years to 2010-11, and as reported in the Departments 2008-09 annual report and accounts we are on target to achieve this. We have not been required to report separately on operational efficiency savings; therefore it would incur disproportionate costs to separate reporting to date.
	Looking beyond the current spending review period the Department is working closely with its NDPBs to scope opportunities for operational efficiency savings by 2013-14. This is being taken forward through a variety of work strands:
	Benchmarking of non-departmental public bodies with over 250 staff. This will be published in the next few weeks. This work was initiated in July 2009.
	The DCMS procurement council is actively promoting collaboration and value for money solutions across the Department and its arm's length bodies. This builds on the work initiated in February 2009 as part of the Department's response to the Procurement Capability Review.
	The Property Asset Management Board is developing a joint estates strategy. This work was initiated in September 2009.
	ICT mapping will be supported by a new CIO Council. This work was initiated in October 2009.
	These scoping studies will lead to detailed plans and savings in the new year.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons were for the requirement for an advance from the National Loans Fund to the Homes and Communities Agency referred to on page 56 of the Agency's annual report and financial statement 2008-09.

John Healey: The advance from the National Loans Fund (NLF) was made to the Housing Corporation, one of the predecessor bodies for the Homers and Communities Agency (HCA), in 2007-8. This was re-paid by the Housing Corporation before the launch of the HCA on 1 December 2008 (though this appears in the HCA's financial statements for 2008-09 as these were prepared on a merger accounting basis to give results for the full financial year in 2008-09) and the amount owed was  nil as at 31 March 2009.
	The purpose of the NLF loan to the Housing Corporation had been to continue to fund some residual historical loans made by the Housing Corporation dating from the 1990s made to assist with right to buy purchases.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what salary has been set for each Homes and Communities Agency regional director for 2009-10.

John Healey: As at the end of October 2009 the salary for each Homes and Communities Agency regional director was set at:
	
		
			
			 Regional Director London 157,325 
			 Regional Director East of England 142,100 
			 Regional Director West Midlands 131,848 
			 Regional Director South East 131,816 
			 Regional Director South West 131,950 
			 Regional Director North East 129,920 
			 Regional Director East Midlands 126,706 
			 Regional Director Yorkshire and Humber 121,800 
			 Regional Director North West 121,800 
		
	
	The salary award was backdated to 1 July 2009.

Legal Opinion

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose was of each piece of legal representation and advice obtained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each year since May 1997.

Barbara Follett: Communities has spent the following amounts on legal services in the last three fiscal years. Figures for earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			
			 2008-09 5,292,381 
			 2007-08 4,105,192 
			 2006-07 3,909,949 
		
	
	Legal advice was provided on a regular and ongoing basis. The majority will be protected by legal professional privilege or commercial confidentiality or both. Providing detailed information about advice obtained would be at disproportionate cost.
	The Fire Service College has supplied the following:
	
		
			
			 2001-02 57,470.81 
			 2002-03 73,613.72 
			 2003-04 38,643.55 
			 2004-05 79,410.99 
			 2005-06 50,447.51 
			 2006-07 27,519.36 
			 2007-08 26,678.10 
			 2008-09 51,907.48 
			 2009 to date (31 October 2009) 71,250.26 
		
	
	Costs prior to FY 2001-02 and the purpose of legal representation and advice sought cannot be provided due to disproportionate cost.
	The Planning Inspectorate has provided the following figures. They are unable to provide the reason for the expenditure as it is confidential.
	
		
			
			 2004-05 640,906 
			 2005-06 887,811 
			 2006-07 1,007,750 
			 2007-08 1,108,333 
			 2008-09 1,417,017 
			 2009-10 967,922 
		
	
	Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre uses the in-house legal team at CLG for its routine legal requirements. No external legal representatives used since beginning FY 2007-08. Information for earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Sheltered Housing: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Tamworth Borough Council spent on sheltered housing in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the amounts spent by Tamworth borough council on sheltered housing in each of the last three financial years (2006-7; 2007-8; and 2008-9).
	
		
			  Sheltered housing and Alarm call services 
			   
			   Revenue expenditure  Capital expenditure  Total revenue and capital 
			 2006-07 1,035,852.46 32,254.38 1,068,106.84 
			 2007-8 1,064,090.72 42,294.00 1,106,384.72 
			 2008-09 1,045,884.35 113,924.17 1,159,808.52 
			 Three year total 3,145,827.53 188,472.55 3,334,300.08

Abortion

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to address the variation in levels of repeat abortions across England.

Gillian Merron: One of the aims of the Government's Sexual Health and HIV Strategy for England is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The standard national health service contract for 2009-10 includes a new clause to ensure that abortion providers improve access to the full range of contraception for women undergoing abortion. A specification for abortion services is currently being developed to support implementation of this new requirement.
	The Department has invested 20.5 million in 2009-10 to improve access to contraception to improve all women's knowledge of, and access to the full range of contraception and help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortion and repeat abortions. This includes 7 million for a contraceptive choices media campaign and a further 10 million to strategic health authorities (SHAs) for local action.
	Primary care trusts and SHAs were asked to use their funding to improve access to all contraceptive methods to reduce teenage conception, abortion and repeat abortion rates, particularly in areas where teenage pregnancy rates were high. We are actively working with the SHAs to monitor additional spend and share best practice.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it cost his Department to  (a) collect,  (b) process,  (c) collate and  (d) store statistics on abortion in the most recent 12-months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: This information is not collated in the categories requested. Registered medical practitioners are legally required to send a notification to the chief medical officer after each abortion is performed. Information derived from the form is used to monitor compliance with the Abortion Act 1967, as amended, and to compile statistical outputs as appropriate.
	The overall cost to the Department over the last 12 months of issuing, processing and storing the forms, and the provision of statistical outputs is estimated to be 408,670. This figure includes staff, printing and information technology costs.

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The Department's two executive agencies, and nine of its 10 non-departmental public bodies did not pay any bonuses or incentives to consultants and contractors in the last three years.
	A single bonus payment of 1,000 was made to a contractor in the 2006-07 financial year by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, which is a non-departmental public body.

Eye Tests and Dental Checks

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are entitled to a free annual  (a) eye test and  (b) dental check; how many people received such tests in 2008-09; and what the cost was.

Ann Keen: It is not possible to identify how many people are currently entitled to free national health service sight tests and dental checks. Those groups who are entitled to NHS sight tests (which are available to all individuals within the eligible groups at no charge) or free dental care are summarised in the following table. Statistics are not available on the number of individuals who fall within all of these categories; nor can we identify how many people might be counted within more than one category.
	
		
			  Groups entitled to NHS sight tests  Groups entitled to free NHS dental care 
			 Aged under 16, or aged 16, 17 or 18 in full-time education Aged under 18, or aged 18 in full-time education 
			 Aged 60 or over A woman who is pregnant, or who has had a baby in the 12 months before treatment starts 
			 A diagnosed glaucoma patient, or someone who has been advised by an ophthalmologist that they are at risk of glaucoma, or someone aged 40 or over who is a parent, brother, sister, son or daughter of a diagnosed glaucoma patient A person who is an NHS in-patient whose treatment is carried out by a hospital dentist 
			 A person diagnosed as diabetic (1)A person who is an NHS Hospital Dental Service out-patient 
			 A person who is registered as severely sight-impaired/blind or sight-impaired/partially sighted When the treatment starts or when the charge is made, a person or their partner who is getting: Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Pension Credit Guarantee Credit 
			 A person who needs complex lenses A person who is entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate 
			 A patient whose sight test is carried out through a hospital eye department as part of the management of an eye condition A person who is named on a valid NHS Low Income scheme HC2 certificate 
			 A person who is getting, or whose partner is getting: Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Pension Credit Guarantee Credit  
			 A person who is entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate  
			 A person who is named on a valid NHS Low Income scheme HC2 certificate  
			 (1) There may be a charge for dentures and bridges 
		
	
	In 2008-09 11.3 million NHS sight tests were provided by primary care practitioners within the General Ophthalmic Service in England. This may not fully equate to the number of individuals who received tests, because some people may have had more than one test within the year. Further details including the breakdown of the number of tests according to the category of entitlement recorded for each patient is available in the report General Ophthalmic Service: Activity Statistics for England and Wales Year Ending 31 March 2009 published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. A copy of the report is available at the Information Centre's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/eye-care/general-phthalmic-services:-activity-statistics-for-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2009
	In 2008-09, 18.4 million courses of dental treatment were provided by NHS primary dental care services in England to patients who qualified for free treatment. This will not equate to the number of individuals who received care because some people will have received more than one course of treatment within the year. Most courses of treatment will have incorporated a dental examination. Further details, including the breakdown of the number of courses of treatment according to the category of entitlement recorded for each patient, is available in the report NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008-09 published by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care. A copy of the Information Centre report has already been placed in the Library.
	The cost of NHS sight tests provided within the General Ophthalmic Service in 2008-09 is estimated at 223 million.
	Since dentists are no longer paid an itemised fee for each element of treatment under the new primary dental service contract arrangements introduced in April 2006, it is not possible to separately identify the cost of dental examinations.

Multiple Sclerosis: Drugs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the risk sharing scheme for the provision of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying drugs on the availability of other drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, including drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence;
	(2)  when he expects the risk sharing scheme will be able to demonstrate the value for money of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying drugs;
	(3)  what the cost has been of the risk sharing scheme for disease-modifying drugs since its inception.

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of progress on the risk-sharing scheme for provision of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying drugs;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the cost to date of the risk-sharing scheme for the provision of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying drugs; and what estimate he has made of the total cost of the scheme over its projected lifespan;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the risk-sharing scheme for the provision of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying drugs.

Mike O'Brien: While we have made no formal assessment, we consider that it is unlikely the scheme has made any significant impact on the availability of other drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis. The drugs included in the scheme are used within criteria developed by the Association of British Neurologists. The national health service is obliged to fund other drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) within the terms of the appraisal guidance. Natalizumab (Tysabri) is the only other licensed medicine which has an impact on the course of the disease and has been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS.
	Data from the first two years of follow-up of the monitoring cohort of the Multiple Sclerosis Risk Sharing Scheme have been collected and these data have been analysed and interpreted by an independent advisory group. A paper outlining the results is to be published shortly on the  British Medical Journal's website
	www.bmj.com
	We estimate that the costs incurred since the scheme's inception are in the order of 350 million. This figure is made up of 200,000 a year representing the Department's 20 per cent. share of running the contract; an average 35,000 a year to meet the MS Trust's administration costs for the scheme and drug costs of around 50 million a year.

101 Calls

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to a national non-emergency, three-digit telephone number;
	(2)  how much has been  (a) spent on and  (b) allocated to projects relating to a national non-emergency, three-digit telephone number in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: There are currently 0.5 full-time equivalent members of staff in the Home Office who are involved with working on the policy for the '101' single national non-emergency service as part of their wider work to build public confidence in the police and their partners.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has one member of staff who is responsible for contact management in the police service and their remit would therefore include the 101 single non-emergency service, as part of their wider role.
	The approximate total spent and allocated by the Home Office on projects related to the '101' national non-emergency service in each of the last three years is:
	
		
			   million 
			   S pent  A llocated 
			 2008-09 1.1 1 
			 2007-08 12.5 13 
			 2006-07 16.7 31

Local Authorities: Finance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department provided to local authorities in 2009-10; how much it expects to provide in 2010-11 by  (a) programme,  (b) funding stream and  (c) grant; what the nature and purpose of such funding was in 2009-10; and what mechanism was used for the allocation of funds between local authorities.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office (including UKBA) has provided the following funding to local authorities during 2009-10. Details of the grant stream, and the purpose of each are included.
	
		
			  000 
			  Grant stream name  Grant stream purpose  Budget  Total spend to date 
			 Victims and Witness Champions The role of the champions will be to promote the needs of antisocial behaviour victims and coordinate local services to ensure victims receive the support and information they want and need. 150 0 
			 Private Space Violence Fund The grant stream covers a number of local initiatives to tackle domestic violence. This ranges from providing support to voluntary organisations, holding awareness raising conferences, improving data collection, and starting perpetrator programmes. 3,500 72 
			 National Support Network To strengthen the effectiveness of local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Community safety Partnerships (CSPs)to respond to local concerns and deliver national priorities. 1, 000 0 
			 Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant To contribute towards the non ring fenced area based grant. It acts as an important lever for increasing the priority given to young people and drugs by drugs action teams and local authorities 15,392 0 
			 Drugs Intervention programme To integrate measures for directing adult drug-misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment. Payments to drug action teams 88,400 43,558 
			 Place Based Support Fund (including vigilance grant) To fund a strategic programme of support for local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) or Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) in Wales. Funding aims to enable partnerships to improve public confidence in the work they do and ultimately reduce crime. 2,500 213 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF) To provide opportunities for people to work more closely with the police and other authorities in their neighbourhoods to create safer communities. (Resource) 61,147 19,135 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF) To provide opportunities for people to work more closely with the police and other authorities in their neighbourhoods to create safer communities. (Capital) 18,872 9,436 
			 
			 NCJG Coordinator Allocation Work Priorities Allocation ASB Victims and Witnesses Allocation Taking forward Neighbourhood Justice activities in 60 areas across the country. This includes improving the local public offer in terms of: 4,595 263 
			  One dialogue with the public on crime, policing and justice   
			  Services delivering on their public commitments/minimum standards e.g. Policing Pledge, Victims Code, Witness Charter etc   
			  Much increased public awareness of consequences for offenders, particularly Community Payback and publicising sentencing outcomes   
			  Access to the Community Crime Fighters programme   
			 
			 OSCT Prevent: Social Research To fund research identified by Prevent SBSR Team as essential to the development of a sound evidence base for strategy and policy in managing extremism in prisons 31 31 
			 OSCT Protect-Crowded Places To reduce the vulnerability of high to medium-high sites in England and Wales 5,500 0 
			 OSCT Prevent: Identification and Referral -Objectives 2 and 3 15 projects lead by GO'S, local authorities and voluntary organisations in support of prevent objectives 2 and 3 490 10 
			 Local Consortia Enabling Grants Enabling Grants L SE, SWW, MIDS, Sc and NI, NE and NW, Yorkshire and Humberside provide support to organisations for the coordination and provision of advice, support and services for all migrants. 1, 570 785 
			 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) UASC Grants- England, Scotland  Wales Funding provided to local authorities as required under statute to contribute towards costs incurred by each authority 127,000 66,855 
			 Leaving Care Grants Leaving Care Grants - Funding provided to local authorities as required under statute to contribute towards costs incurred by each authority 17,200 8,600 
			 Treasury Invest to Save Budget (ISB) Support for the Changing Community in Crewe - aims to co-ordinate an improved response to the needs of the migrant worker population and reduce the additional stress on service providers at a District and County level. 51 0 
		
	
	The total expenditure to date includes payments made up to the end of September 2009. Where no expenditure to date has occurred, this will be due to a variety of reasons, including:
	1. Grant stream recently agreed, therefore no payments have yet been made
	2. Grant recipient has not provided evidence of expenditure incurred, therefore no payments to date occurred
	The Home Office has not yet finalised expected provision (by programme, funding stream, or grant) for 2010-11 to this level of detail. However, the Home Office has announced funding for area based grant across the entire spending review, comprising:
	
		
			
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund (Resource) 61,146,931 
			 Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant 15,392,326 
		
	
	The Home Office adopts a variety of mechanisms by which to determine the allocation to each local authority. In relation to grants, there are the following mechanisms:
	Formula based (e.g. Safer Stronger Communities Fund)-each local authority has a pre-determined allocation based upon a formula that ensures a commensurate allocation throughout the country
	Bid based-all local authorities are entitled to bid for funding as per the business plan that they provide. These bids are then considered, and assessed against criteria such as value for money and allocations determined accordingly.
	Funding pot availability-a specific maximum amount per grant is set, and each local authority may submit a bid within that maximum ceiling.
	Fixed rate basis (e.g. UASC-Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers Children)-the grant payable to local authorities is on a fixed rate (e.g. per UASC per night), with many authorities having different grant rates, according to their numbers of UASC and individual circumstances.
	Fixed rate once specified thresholds exceeded (e.g. Leaving Care grant)-paid to local authorities, at a rate of 100 per week per former UASC aged over 18, after the first 25 cases have been discounted.

National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse: Finance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has provided to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in 2009-10; and what funding it expects to provide in 2010-11.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has provided total funding allocations of 3,132,000 to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) for 2009-10.
	The total amount consists of 2,132,000 core funding to the NTA for the delivery of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), and project management funding of 1,000,000 to support pilot areas within the Drug System Change Pilots programme.
	Decisions about 2010-11 allocations will be made later in the year.
	 Source
	Home Office Accounting System

Police: Pay

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of  (a) police officers and  (b) civilian police force staff earn more than 50,000 per annum.

David Hanson: This information is not held centrally. Information on remuneration disclosure is provided by police authorities in their annual statements of accounts.

Departmental Plants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent by his Department on  (a) cut flowers and  (b) pot plants since February 2009.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has spent a total of 5,265 on potted plants since February 2009. There has been nil expenditure on cut flowers during this period.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which qualifications have been accredited for the 2009-10 academic year; if he will estimate for each qualification the proportion of the final mark which is to be based on teacher assessment; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The National Database of Accredited Qualifications (NDAQ) lists all currently accredited qualifications from entry level to level 8. As of 19 November 2009, 9,748 qualifications are listed. Further details of these qualifications can be found online:
	http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/index.asp
	The Section 96 page of the DCSF website
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/section96
	provides a link to the list of qualifications the Secretary of State has approved to be delivered in maintained schools, and for under 19-year olds in further and work-based education and training. Approximately 7,500 qualifications are currently listed. The methods of assessment vary according to the qualification and could only be provided for each qualification at disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Pay

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was paid in salary and wage costs for teachers and teaching staff in maintained schools in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the proportion paid to such staff who earn more than 50,000 per annum.

Vernon Coaker: The available information on how much was paid in salary and wage costs for teachers and teaching staff in maintained schools in 2007-08 for England was 17,521,117,000. The Department estimates that there were approximately 28,000 teachers earning more than 50,000 per annum in England costing in total 1,665,021,000. This makes up 9.5 per cent. of the total spend on teaching staff.
	 Notes:
	1. The source of the salary information is the Database of Teacher Records (DTR) and is provisional.
	2. Overall teacher numbers from the Annual Survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, 618g were apportioned by the information from the DTR to provide the estimate of the numbers of teachers receiving these salaries and the salaries given by multiplying this by the average salary over 50,000 from the DTR.
	3. The total spend on teaching staff is taken from the Section 52 Outturn statements 2007-08.
	4. It includes teachers employed directly by the school; including supernumerary/peripatetic teachers on short-term contracts and covers expenditure on salaries and wages consisting of gross pay, including bonus and allowances, maternity pay and the employer's contributions to national insurance and superannuation plus threshold payments and other payments relating to teacher pay reforms.
	5. These figures are in cash and rounded to nearest 1,000.

Burundi: Overseas Aid

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level of support, and in which sectors, his Department intends to provide to Burundi in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently providing 10 million a year to Burundi. Our current strategy for support to the country covers the period from 2008 to 2011. Because Burundi is still recovering from 13 years of conflict, DFID support is focused on helping the country rebuild its health, education and justice systems. The budget allocation is:
	6 million for the social sectors including 4 million for essential medicine. DFID is also supporting our partners in building schools, providing free textbooks and improving the standard of secondary education.
	2 million for justice to build accountable systems for public financial management and prepare for free and fair elections in 2010. This includes providing legal aid to vulnerable citizens and raising awareness about governance issues.
	2 million for humanitarian support to care for returning refugees, orphans and vulnerable children.
	In 2010 DFID will review this and future support to the country with the Government of Burundi and other partners. Future support will also be made in light of the broader UK Government Corporate Spending Review and planning for the period 2011 to 2013.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what efficiency savings projects his Department put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has agreed to deliver savings in administrative costs of 4 million in 2008-09, 8 million in 2009-10 and 12 million in 2010-11, including through Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) related projects. This commitment is part of DFID's overall value for money (VFM) programme.
	Delivery against 2008-09 targets was reported in DFID's 2009 annual report. The report is available at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Finance-and-performance/Annual-report/Annual-Report-2009/
	A further progress report will be included in the forthcoming autumn performance report.
	DFID is planning further efficiency savings in areas identified by the OEP, which will contribute to the 9 billion to be delivered across Government in the next spending review period.

Departmental Legal Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose of legal representation and advice sought by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies was in each year since May 1997.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development uses a number of sources of legal expertise in both the UK and overseas. Records are available for full expenditure only from 2003-04. DFID does not maintain central records of the purpose of each piece of legal representation and advice.
	
		
			  Expenditure 
			   Cost () 
			 2003-04 855,996 
			 2004-05 721,927 
			 2005-06 650,615 
			 2006-07 522,004 
			 2007-08 670,057 
			 2008-09 696,323

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently has one contract let centrally that includes a provision for bonuses. DFID's contract for security guarding and reception services with ISS Pegasus includes a provision for team based performance incentives for their 13 staff. 500 has been paid to each staff member in each of the last two years.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Department for International Development (DFID) senior civil service (SCS) members are eligible for a non-consolidated performance award. Awards are intended to reward delivery of personal business objectives during the reporting year or other short-term personal contributions to wider organisational objectives. In considering SCS members for an award, line managers are asked to take into account:
	performance against agreed priority business objectives or targets
	total delivery record over the year
	relative stretch (ie the challenge of the job compared to that of others)
	response to unforeseen events that affected the performance agreement.
	Awards are funded within existing pay bill controls, have to be re-earned each year against the pre-determined criteria above and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	The annual size of the non-consolidated performance pay pot for SCS is based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).
	The following table contains, for the last two financial years: (i) the number of SCS who received an award; (ii) the percentage of all SCS who received an award; (iii) the largest single payment; and (iv) the total value of awards made.
	
		
			   Financial year( 1) 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			 Number of SCS who received an award 71 68 
			 Percentage of total SCS who received an award 73.9 70.1 
			 Largest single award () 22,700 15,000 
			 Total SCS awards () 641,510 634,150 
		
	
	Staff in grades below the SCS (HCS) are eligible for a non-consolidated performance award. Awards are intended to reward both the delivery of personal business objectives during the reporting year and demonstration of DFID's values.
	The following table contains, for the last two financial years: (i) the number of HCS who received an award; (ii) the percentage of all HCS who received an award; (iii) the largest single payment; and (iv) the total value of awards made.
	
		
			   Financial year( 1) 
			   2008-09( 2)  2009-10 
			 Number of HCS who received an award 0 1,312 
			 Percentage of total HCS who received an award 0 85.0 
			 Largest single award () 0 750 
			 Total HCS awards () 0 742,515 
			 (1 )Payments made are for the financial year indicated but relate to performance achieved in the previous reporting year. (2) DFID's reward arrangements did not allow for the payment of any performance related awards in the 2008-09 financial year to staff below the senior civil service.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) average and  (b) highest non-consolidated performance-related payment was in cash terms for a senior civil servant in his Department in each of the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: Department for International Development (DFID) senior civil service (SCS) members are eligible for a non-consolidated performance award. Awards are intended to reward delivery of personal business objectives during the reporting year or other short-term personal contributions to wider organisational objectives. In considering SCS members for an award, line managers are asked to take into account:
	performance against agreed priority business objectives or targets;
	total delivery record over the year
	relative stretch (ie the challenge of the job compared to that of others)
	response to unforeseen events that affected the performance agreement
	Awards are funded within existing pay bill controls, have to be re-earned each year against the pre-determined criteria above and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	The annual size of the non-consolidated performance pay pot is based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).
	The table shows the average (median) award and the highest single award in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			   
			  Financial year( 1)  Average (median) award  Highest single award 
			 2005-06 3,750 5,500 
			 2006-07 4,500 8,000 
			 2007-08 5,750 12,500 
			 2008-09 6,350 22,700 
			 2009-10 7,357 15,000 
			 (1) Payments made are for the financial year indicated but relate to performance achieved in the previous reporting year.

Developing Countries: Secondary Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects on the economies of his Department's partner countries of their achievement of equal access for girls to secondary education.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) produced an analysis of the role of skills in economic growth in 2008. This drew attention to the gender differences in the complex relationship between levels of education and skills and economic growth. More evidence at a country level is needed in this area, but this initial work suggested that the rates of return for higher levels of female education were particularly significant to economic growth. The World Bank found that every 1 per cent. increase in the level of women's education generates an additional 3 per cent. in economic growth. Importantly, failure to achieve gender parity at post-primary levels could be a bottle neck in the growth of the economies of our partner countries.
	DFID currently funds a five-year research programme co-ordinated by the University of Cambridge worth 2.5 million which is currently undertaking analysis of the different rates of return on various levels of education which includes looking at gender differences.

Developing Countries: Secondary Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to meet the target of ensuring that girls have equal access to secondary education in all his Department's partner countries by 2015.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) for universal primary education and gender parity by 2015. DFID is spending at least 8.5 billion between 2006 and 2015 in support of education in developing countries. Through this long-term commitment we are supporting poor countries to invest in quality basic education, including lower secondary, to ensure that all girls and boys attain the fundamental skills they need to participate in social and economic life.
	For example, DFID is currently helping the Government of India to prepare its plans for expanding enrolments at secondary education from 53 per cent. to 70 per cent. over the next three years. The majority of these gains in enrolment will be girls. A raft of interventions are proposed for achieving this, including girls' scholarships and bursaries, free uniforms, textbooks and bicycles for girls as well as free hostels and residential schools for the poorest girls. Attention to equity, particularly in terms of eliminating gender disparities is now a key part of DFID policy dialogue on and support for the development of secondary education in India.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the likely effectiveness of his Department's proposed activities in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) will provide 60 million in development aid to support Zimbabwe this financial year which will be used to;
	fight HIV by delivering Anti-Retroviral Treatment to 58,000 people
	improve access to clean water and sanitation for over 2 million people
	establish 5,000 community health groups to help rural populations prepare for and respond to future disease epidemics
	provide essential medicines to approximately 1,300 primary care clinics and rural hospitals
	provide 10,000 urban poor and vulnerable households with 350 metric tonnes of food every month and 2,000 rural and urban poor households with cash transfers every month
	provide textbooks to 5,300 primary schools
	All our assistance is provided through trusted partners, including the United Nations and non-governmental organisations. We do not pass funds directly to the Government of Zimbabwe or through government financial systems, (including through the Reserve Bank).

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what family-friendly working policies his Department and its predecessors have implemented in each of the last 10 years.

Patrick McFadden: The information is as follows:
	 1999
	Parental leave: New right introduced. Parents with one year's continuous service entitled to 13 weeks' unpaid leave up to the child's fifth birthday for children born or placed for adoption on or after 15 December 1999.
	Time off for dependants: all employees entitled to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work to deal with certain emergencies involving a dependant.
	 2000
	Maternity leave: Maternity leave extended so that all employed women became entitled to 18 weeks' ordinary maternity leave. Women with one year's service entitled to additional maternity leave up to 29 weeks after baby's birth. Benefited women whose babies were due on or after 30 April 2000.
	Maternity pay: Maternity allowance extended to women earning 30 per week.
	 2001
	Parental leave: right extended to parents of all children under five on 15 December 1999; period of parental leave extended to 18 weeks for parents of disabled children.
	 2003
	Maternity leave: ordinary maternity leave extended to 26 weeks. Additional maternity leave extended to 26 weeks following on from ordinary maternity leave. Qualifying service for additional maternity leave reduced to 26 weeks.
	Maternity pay: Statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance extended to 26 weeks.
	Paternity leave: fathers/partners of pregnant women entitled to two weeks leave with statutory paternity pay at the same rate as statutory maternity pay.
	Adoption leave: adopters entitled to 52 weeks' leave with statutory adoption pay at the same rate as statutory maternity pay.
	Right to request flexible working: parents with caring responsibilities for children under six (or 18, if disabled) entitled to request flexible working pattern from employers.
	 2006
	Maternity leave: Qualifying service for additional maternity leave removed.
	Pay: Payment period of statutory maternity pay, statutory adoption pay and maternity allowance extended to 39 weeks.
	Encouraging communication: women and employers can make reasonable contact during maternity leave; keeping in touch days introduced so women and employers can agree that women will work up to 10 day during maternity leave without losing any pay or ending her leave.
	Guidance: Pregnancy and Work leaflet set out key information for women and employers; online tools help women and employers understand rights/responsibilities.
	Support for employers: notice period for women changing plans for return from maternity leave extended from four to eight weeks; administration of SMP, SAP and SPP simplified.
	 2007
	Right to request flexible working: extended to carers of certain adults from April 2007.
	 2008
	Contractual benefits during maternity leave: entitlement to receive contractual benefits extended so that mothers entitled to non-paid rights or other work-related benefits throughout the 26 weeks of additional maternity leave.
	 2009
	Right to request flexible working: extended to those with parental responsibility of children aged 16 and under.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008-09; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: BIS was formed through a MOG change that occurred in June. The Department was created by merging Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). This means that BIS in its current form did not exist in 2008-09 and therefore did not make any bonus payments as BIS.
	The two Departments that were merged to create BIS spent the following:
	
		
			  Department  N o.  of people that received an Annual Performance bonus in 2008-09  The proportion of people that received an Annual Bonus in 2008-09 (%)  No .  of people that received an In year bonus in 2008-09  The proportion of people that received an In year bonus in 2008-09 (%)  The total amount of money spent by the department on bonuses in 2008-09 ()  The largest single payment issued by the department in 2008-09 () 
			 BERR 1,025 35 1,218 42 2,827,223 16,500 
			 DIUS 216 24 201 22 535,006 20,000 
			  Notes: (1). In year reward schemes include special bonuses and non pay rewards that are awarded for excellent performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of an in year performance bonus may also have received an annual performance award. (2). Annual Performance Awards paid to Highly Successful performers as part of the annual pay award.

Departmental Plants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on  (a) cut flowers and  (b) pot plants since its creation.

Patrick McFadden: Since its creation in June 2009, this Department's Estates section has spent 60, excluding VAT, on a flower display for its Remembrance Day ceremony at 1 Victoria Street. In addition, 9,780 has been spent on plant displays across seven BIS managed buildings in London, Sheffield and Glasgow in office and reception areas. This spend covers the hire and maintenance of all internal plant displays and exterior maintenance.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what efficiency savings projects  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies put in place under the Operational Efficiency Programme; on what date each such project was initiated; how much each such project was expected to contribute to departmental savings; how much had been saved through each such project on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) published findings in April 2009 that identified potential savings of around 6 billion a year by 2010-11 and a further 9 billion of savings achievable by 2013-14 from across Government. At Budget 2009, the MOJ agreed an additional 70 million savings in addition to the 1 billion savings agreed at the start of the comprehensive spending review period.
	The MOJ is making good progress implementing active programmes covering all of the OEP areas. These projects typically include the Department's agencies within their scope:
	In August 2009, the MOJ established a single ICT function, bringing together three existing ICT organisations:
	eDelivery Group, covering areas including MOJ HQ, HM Courts Service and the Tribunals Service;
	NOMS agency ICT
	The OCJR Modernising Technology Unit
	The MOJ has agreed an estates strategy to rationalise the estate it inherited on its creation and deliver significant financial, sustainability and effectiveness gains. The outline business case for the Estates Transformation Programme was signed off by the Estates Transformation Board in August 2009.
	A detailed strategy for the MOJ procurement function called Procurement Success has been developed and signed off by the MOJ Corporate Management Board. The Procurement Success programme strategy was approved by the Board on in November 2008.
	An outline business case for a new MOJ Shared Services programme which is designed to achieve the MOJ wide shared service vision for finance and human resources transactional services has also been signed off by the MOJ Corporate Management Board. The original business case was signed off by the MOJ Investment Committee in October and the full business case is scheduled to go before the January MOJ Corporate Management Board.
	While these initiatives build on previous related work, full year savings are planned to be realised from 2010-11 through to 2013-14.
	It is planned that the MOJ contribution to OEP savings by 2013-14 will be announced in the forthcoming pre-Budget report (PBR).

Departmental Legal Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure his Department and its agencies have incurred on external legal advice and representation in each year since his Department was established; and for what purposes such professional services have been commissioned.

Michael Wills: Expenditure on external legal advice and representation is interpreted as the cost of services provided by counsel and solicitors in private practice. It excludes advice from in house legal advisers or Treasury Solicitors. External lawyers are used mainly where in-house resources are not available to deal with commercial contracts and special projects or where there are novel or complex issues where it is considered that a second opinion is required.
	Expenditure incurred on external legal advice and representation by the Department and its executive agencies, excluding the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), since the Ministry of Justice was established is as follows:
	
		
			   000 
			 2008-09 1,764 
			 2007-08 2,297 
		
	
	The accounting records for NOMS do not separately identify expenditure on external legal services. Identification of external fees would involve examination of numerous locally held records and could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

HM Courts Service: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what progress has been made towards developing a bilingual version of the Libra IT system; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much  (a) has been spent and  (b) is expected to be spent on developing a bilingual version of the Libra IT system; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The bilingual version of the Libra IT system was successfully released in all magistrates' courts in Wales on 13 September 2009, as planned.
	The cost of developing the Libra bilingual solution was approximately 4 million, in line with the estimate provided to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central (Jenny Willott) in January 2009. This figure represents costs for application development, it does not include support costs, which are ongoing for the life of the application.
	No further development costs will be incurred for the bilingual solution. Support costs for the solution are included in the overall support costs for the Libra application.

Legal Aid: Asylum

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the average cost of legal aid in respect of an asylum case.

Bridget Prentice: Legal aid in asylum matters covers a variety of work including initial advice and legal representation at a tribunal and in judicial review.
	The following table shows the average cost of an asylum case where the bill was paid during the year 2008-09.
	
		
			   Average cost () 
			 Initial advice only 610 
			 Advice and representation at a tribunal 1,670 
		
	
	The average cost of legal aid for judicial reviews in immigration and asylum matters during 2008-09 was 2,480. (The cost for asylum judicial reviews cannot be disaggregated from the figures for both immigration and asylum.)

Mentally Ill: Health Services

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total construction cost was of the three most recently completed  (a) low,  (b) medium and  (c) high security mental health units in England and Wales, excluding the cost of the land purchased; how many beds were provided by each such unit; and on what date construction commenced in each case.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the three most recent mental health capital investment schemes approved by the Department is given in the following table. The further details requested can only be obtained from the business cases which would incur disproportionate cost. Details of capital investment schemes below the Department's delegated limit for approval are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Three most recent capital investment schemes approved by the Department 
			  Name  Capital cost ( million)  Build start  Open date  
			 Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust 36 9 October 2007 10 June 2009 Reprovision of mental health services 
			  
			 South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 32 5 October 2007 7 May 2009 Medium and low security mental health unit on Runwell hospital site 
			  
			 Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 19 23 December 2004 7 April 2008 Elderly and mental health units